PRACTICE TEST 6

1. I knew my mother would ________ a face the minute she saw my new hair cut.
A. drag B. lift C. pull D. race
2. When she started borrowing my clothes without asking, I had to put my ______ down.
A. stamp B. show C. fish D. foot
3. If you are going to town, keep your eyes ________ for that book I was telling you about.
A. peeled B. clean C. wide D. fresh
4. He was a tall, intimidating persson, with a firm tone of voice and a very short ______ .
A. fuse B. line C. patience D. temperament
5. Peter was ______ of revealing the company’s future plans to the reporter.
A. circumspect B. wary C. prudent D. cautious
6. I'd just met his parents for the first time so I was on my best ______ .
A. manners B. conduct C. behaviour D. demeanour
7. As his whole family were doctors, it was in his ______ to take up that profession
A. blood B. spirit C. soul D. heart
8. Though we'd all been close on the school trip, we parted ______ with one another once we were
back home.
A. views B. frienship C. company D. opinions
9. It pays to be above ______ in your dealings with the Inland Revenue.
A. board B. timber C. plank D. panel
10. Excuse me if I'm speaking out of ______, but what you are proposing is quite wrong.
A. mind B. line C. turn D. order
11. Dr Johnson managed to ensure that the scientists in his research team were the ______ of the crop.
A. top B. catch C. cream D. blend
12. Larry displayed the courage of his ______ by saying no to his supervisor.
A. convictions B. certainties C. principles D. opinions
13. At 69 he is as firmly in the ______ seat of the company as ever.
A. front B. driving C. leading D. foremost
14. Now, 10 days since the hurricane made landfall, residents are struggling to pick up the ______.
A. bits B. parts C. pieces D. slices
15. I believe he really does want to work for us, but he’s playing hard to ______ so that we offer more
money.
A. catch B. get C. grab D. give
16. Some people try to ______ the myth that women are weak.
A. maintain B. preserve C. perpetuate D. disseminate
17. It’s a ______ for decent jobs these days, so you need every qualification you can get.
A. scramble B. jumble C. jostle D. flurry
18. It’s been a ______ winter this year, with temperatures as low as -15°
A. fervent B. sharp C. bitter D. fetid
19. Keith is a ______ of knowledge when it comes to computers.
A. stream B. fountain C. pool D. spring
20. It’s a modern city, full of ______ tower blocks
A. rising B. heaving C. ascending D. soaring
21. A narrow path winds its ______ down from the mountain.
A. course B. route C. way D. direction
22. Try to ______ count of how many calories you eat over a week.
A. have B. make C. keep D. hold
23. There's still a ______ bit of work to be done on the house.
A. decent B. fair C. big D. large
24. The extra payments are a ______for most single mothers.
A. lifeline B. lifequard C. lifeboat D. lifebelt
25. I arrived early for the meeting so I was twiddling my ______for half an hour.
A. fingers B. toes C. hands D. thumbs
26. The film's only ______ grace is the excellent cinematography.
A. winning B. rescuing C. saving D. giving
27. A full-sized tripod is far too ______ to carry around. I find this pocket – sized one is much handier.
A. overweight B. inept C. unwieldy D. outsize
28. Many diseases that used to be considered ______ of mankind are now easily treatable with
antibiotics
A. scourges B. tortures C. blights D. thorns
29. She knows ahe needs exercise, but finds going to the gym a ______.
A. job B. toil C. work D. chore
30. The special effects were quite good, but that’s more than could be ______ for the acting.
A. mentioned B. spoken C. said D. told
31. There are some safety ______ in connection with the new building that still need to be addresssed.
A. worries B. cares C. troubles D. corners
32. After the earthquake, the entrance hall was turned into a ______ casualty ward.
A. mainstay B. makeshift C. piecework D. wayside
33. Tears ______ up out of the baby's eyes.
A. raised B. mounted C. welled D. filled
34. She went under ________as a waiter to write an article on tipping.
A. mask B. act C. pose D. cover
35. There is a new _____ to our family. My mother has just given birth to a baby.
A. growth B. admission C. topping D. addition
36. I don’t want to burden my daughter with my problems; she’s got too much _____
A. up her sleeve B. in her mind C. in effect D. on her plate
37. We live in a _____ society where shopping is all-important.
A. customer B. consumer C. consumption D. civil
38. That human rights are _____ is unacceptable in a civilized society.
A. infringed B. impeached C. abrogated D. quashed
39. He set one alarm-clock for five o’clock and the other for five past so as to _____ that he did not
oversleep.
A. assure B. ensure C. insure D. reass
40. Improving the overall environmental quality is a long-term battle in which we do want the
participation of everyone in society in order to ________ results.
A. realize B. reap C. bear D. generate
41. While backpacking in a quiet, traditional region, I came across the seemingly __________ fast food
ads typical of my hometown.
A. invasive B. infuriating C. irritating D. ubiquitous
42. I dislike him so much that I find it difficult even to be _______ to him.
A. civil B. tactful C. diplomatic D. well-mannered
43. Leili said she found learning languages as easy as __________. She had a gift for it.
A. sliding off a branch B. falling off a log
C. diving off a climb D. branching off a bough
44. You are going to need her help. If I were you, I’d ___________ a bit. I’d try to get her on my side,
you know what I mean.
A. soap her down B. oil her over
C. butter her up D. grease her out
45. That woman sees nothing _________ in letting her children run around as they wish.
A. awry B. amiss C. afraid D. alike
46. It looks like she’s really _________ with her successful new business.
A. closing a deal B. moving on up C. breaking it even D. raking it in
47. There is a great deal of pressure in the newspaper industry; editor might work a 12-hour day with
no _________.
A. come-down B. letdown C. crackdown D. let-up
48. It was Alice’s year: a new home, a better job - everything just clicked into _________.
A. spot B. position C. place D. spaceholes
49. The professor’s _________theory is that singing preceded speech.
A. fancied B. fond C. pet D. prefer
50. It took me several seconds to grasp the meaning of her statement but finally the ________ dropped.
A. penny B. axe C. hammer D. stone
51. Somebody who is foolish or stupid is________ .
A. soft in the head B. riding high
C. over the moon D. pushing up daisies
52. The government is doing all it can to _______ war on dangerous driving.
A. launch B. wage C. stage D. battle
53. Take care that your love for him doesn't _______ your judgment.
A. cloud B. darken C. shadow D. topple
54. Although the twins look identical, they have widely _______ opinions on almost every topic under
the sun.
A. distinct B. dissimilar C. divergent D. distinguished
55. The children's interest in playing the game soon _______.
A. flagged B. stumbled C. tottered D. thawed
56. The princess's nanny's autobiography really gives the _______ on life among the royals.
A. show-down B. know-how C. low-down D. look-out
57. A(n) ________ attempt by the army was quickly foiled.
A. coup B. overthrow C. overtake D. mutiny
58. Having gained a ________ victory in the general elections, they proceeded with their ambitious
programme.
A. galloping B. staunch C. landslide D. close-up
59. It was the most boring, long-________speech I have ever had the misfortune to hear.
A. lasting ` B. winded C. standing D. running
60. The journey would take ________ fifty minutes.
A. give or take B. about
C. anywhere between D. in rough
61. There’s no need to get so ________ about being turned down. There are other advertising agencies
out there, you know.
A. destitute B. despondent C. descendant D. despicable
62. Many companies have had to ________ their plans for expansion due to the economic recession.
A. scrap B. harbour C. refrain D. oust
63. I ________ you that this new job is a step up the ladder, but it will mean moving to another part of
the country.
A. divulge B. quibble C. heckle D. grant
64. The only thing that ________ the race was Kaba’s accident.
A. dismantled B. scrapped C. marred D. frayed
65. The whole situation is getting out of ________. Let’s do something before it turns into a bitter row.
A. capacity B. charge C. hand D. discipline
66. The weekend is over, so tomorrow morning it’s back to the________ .
A. grind B. labour C. drudgery D. toil
67. It takes time to get a financial system up and ________ after the introduction of a new currency.
A. walking B. proceeding C. running D. going
68. Life is so full of both good fortune and misfortunes that you have to learn to take the rough with
the________.
A. smooth B. ready C. calm D. tough
69. Stephen really lost his________ when his dental appointment was cancelled yet again.
A. head B. voice C. calm D. rag
70. Don’t take it as ________ that you’ll be promoted in your job; other colleagues stand a good
chance too
A. fixed B. standard C. read D. word
71. I don’t believe for a moment that if you play that record backwards, you’ll hear a ________
message in the background.
A. subsiding B. sublingual C. subliminal D. telepathic
72. The festival audience were ________ each other in order to get as near to the stage as possible.
A. staggering B. jostling C. strolling D. fidgeting
73. -“They say that your wife tends to pry into other people private’s matters.”
- “ I don’t care. It’s no skin off my _______”
A. palm B. skull C. cheek D. nose
74. Take the doctor’s advice into consideration. He’s in ________ earnest about the epidemic.
A. mortally B. fatally C. gravely D. deadly
75. It’s important to keep your _____ about you when you are walking through the African bush.
A. wits B. heads C. brains D. minds
76. The science teacher asked the class to ______ the results of their experiment on a graph.
A. draw B. illustrate C. plot D. sketch
77. She's such a ______ of strength that everyone relies on her in a crisis.
A. tower B. pillar C. post D. support
78. Tom was able to ______ a pretty picture of the situation and impressed his manager.
A. paint B. draw C. present D. make
79. It is far too easy to lay the blame ______ on the shoulders of the management.
A. flatly B. willingly C. squarely D. perfectly
80. David has a(n) ______ to fainting at the sight of blood.
A. inclination B. predilection C. predisposition D. penchant
81. The school committee paid ______ to their famous former pupil by naming the new gym after her.
A. esteem B. homage C. honour D. respect
82. After his long illness, the old man appeared so thin and ______ that a gust of wind might have
blown him away.
A. flimsy B. faint C. withered D. frail
83. You could tell that she wasn't happy about the news by the way she ______ her face in disapproval.
A. came on B. brought round C. settled for D. screwed up
84. Going to the unemployment office and having to wait there for hours is a ______ experience.
A. soul-destroying B. heart-stopping
C. power-sharing D. thought-provoking
85. Mr. Newrich invited his guests to an expensive restaurant. However, he felt ______ at ease.
A. sick B. painful C. ill D. unwell
86. The gift, together with the flowers, was a ______of his gratitude and appreciation.
A. coupon B. memento C. remembrance D. token
87. If she doesn't get what she wants, she throws a ______, stamping her feet and screaming her head
off.
A. outburst B. tantrum C. steam D. rage
88. The ______workers were expecting thousands of refugees to turn up at the camps over the next few
weeks.
A. social B. concern C. relief D. agency
89. The police have been ______ the district for the murderer, leaving no stone unturned.
A. brainwashing B. penetrating C. ransacking D. scouring
90. Despite the fog, we were able to discern a ______of cottages in the distance.
A. cluster B. clutter C. congregation D. constellation
91. I'm afraid we got our ______crossed. I thought my husband would be picking up the children and
he thought I was doing it.
A. minds B. purposes C. fingers D. wires
92. Today many people find that the pressure they have at work makes their jobs ________ as they
have to put their families totally in the background.
A. untenable B. unforgivable C. unsustainable D. unreliable
93. The man’s choice to run away virtually ______ to an admission of guilt.
A. devoted B. came C. amounted D. added
94. I have to stress that the ______ is on you to bring up your own children.
A. duty B. charge C. onus D. liability
95. She was just an ordinary person before suddenly thrusting into the ______.
A. limelight B. floodlight C. headlight D. flashlight
96. Many people no longer trust their own _____ memories and commit every detail of their lives to
some digital device or other and are completely lost without it.
A. fallible B. susceptible C. vulnerable D. controllable
97. I associate public transport with one of the worst experiences of my life and the _____ of it is that I
will never catch a bus again.
A. hard and fast B. thick and thin
C. long and short D. ups and downs
98. Getting that job did a lot to ______his ego after having been turned down many times.
A. boost B. promote C. develop D. accelerate
99. My boss is a typical person who has to deal with ___________ activities every day.
A. miscellaneous B. multifarious C. assorted D. manifold
100. Fortunately, her parents were ______ unaware of what was happening to her.
A. rapturously B. exultantly C. blissfully D. jubilantly